The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for its October docket on Oct. 1 at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave N, Nashville 37219, which will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page. At 9 a.m. CDT, the court will hear State v. Torrian Seantel Bishop, State v. William Tony Burrell and Cinda Haddon v. Ladarius Vanlier et al. At 1 p.m. the court will hear SH Nashville LLC et al. v. FWREF Nashville Airport LLC. Additionally, State v. Jeffrey Tate and Steven J. Ogle will be heard on briefs.

Question 1: Pursuant to Article II, Section 28, of the Tennessee Constitution, which states that residential property is to be assessed at 25% of its value, “provided that residential property containing two (2) or more rental units is hereby defined as industrial and commercial property,” what is the appropriate tax classification for a single-family, stand-alone property that is being rented for periods longer than thirty (30) days?

Opinion 1: A single-family, stand-alone property that is being rented for periods longer than thirty days generally will be classified as residential, subject to the caveats discussed below.

Question 2: Pursuant to Article II, Section 28, what is the appropriate tax classification for a duplex where one half is rented and the other half is occupied by the owner?

Opinion 2: A duplex where one half is rented and the other half is owner-occupied generally will be classified as residential, subject to the caveats discussed below.

Question 1: In light of 2025 Tenn. Pub. Acts, ch. 491, may a qualified electronic monitoring provider be an owner, operator, or employee of a professional bondsman, as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-301, during the period July 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026?

Opinion 1: No.

Question 2: May a qualified electronic monitoring provider be an owner, operator, or employee of a professional bondsman, as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-301, on or after January 1, 2026, if the “grandfathering” carveout clause in 2025 Tenn. Pub. Acts, ch. 491, §11 applies to that provider?

Opinion 2: Likely so.

Bobby Cain, a member of the "Clinton 12" who helped integrate Clinton High School in East Tennessee in 1956 — one of the first high schools in the South to integrate — died Monday at age 85. The Associated Press reports that Cain was a senior when he entered the formerly all-white school on a court order. He had previously attended a Black high school about 20 miles away in Knoxville and was not happy about leaving his friends to spend his senior year at a new school in a hostile environment. Despite not being allowed to play sports and facing protests and violence — including being attacked after graduation — Cain persevered to become the first Black student in Tennessee to graduate from an integrated state-run school. He later attended Tennessee State University, worked for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and is remembered as a “reluctant hero.”

The family of a child bitten by a dog appeal the dismissal of their lawsuit at the summary judgment stage. The trial court ruled that the plaintiffs failed to present evidence that the defendant owners knew or should have known of the dog’s dangerous propensities as required by Tennessee Code Annotated section 44-8-413(c)(1). The plaintiffs argue that (1) the trial court committed reversible error when it granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment without a hearing; and (2) they presented sufficient evidence to create a dispute of genuine material fact as to whether the defendant owners should have known of the dog’s dangerous propensities. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

The Defendant, Enoch Zarceno Turner, was convicted of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse, aggravated child abuse, aggravated arson, and especially aggravated burglary, for which he received an effective sentence of life without parole. The sole issue raised on appeal is whether the State established the identity of the Defendant as the perpetrator of each of the offenses. Upon our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Defendant, Robert Vernon Johnson a/k/a Robert Vernon Griffin, was convicted by a Davidson County jury of second degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He received an effective sentence of thirty-one years’ imprisonment. Defendant appeals, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions and that the trial court abused its discretion in denying probation for the firearm conviction and ordering consecutive sentences. Upon review of the entire record, the briefs and oral arguments of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Following a trial, a jury found Defendant, Matthew Richard Herron, guilty of felony reckless endangerment with a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm having been convicted previously of a felony drug offense, for which he received a total effective sentence of ten years’ incarceration. Defendant represented himself at trial and now represents himself on appeal. Upon review of the parties’ briefs, the record, and the applicable law, we conclude that Defendant has failed to prepare a sufficient brief in compliance with Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 27(a) and Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Rule 10(b) and that, therefore, his claims are waived. Accordingly, we affirm the judgments of the criminal court

Former speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for his role in a scheme using the state’s constituent mailer program, WKRN reports. He was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine. Casada was convicted alongside his former chief of staff Cade Cothren of secretly running Phoenix Solutions, a company that funneled taxpayer-funded mailer business for profit. Cothren was sentenced last week to 30 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson handed down the sentence after rejecting defense objections, finding Casada used “sophisticated” money laundering to conceal the scheme. The Tennessean also reports on the sentencing.

Justice Holly Kirby has announced she will retire from the Tennessee Supreme Court, effective June 30, 2026. “I’ve been privileged to work alongside my Supreme Court colleagues, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Tennessee Bar Association and trial judges and lawyers across the state, as well as our governor and our general assembly, to advance our shared vision for Tennessee’s justice system,” Kirby said in a release. “Their dedication and hard work made all the difference. Together we’re making the judicial branch stronger.”

Kirby was appointed to the court by then Gov. Bill Haslam in 2014 and has served as chief justice for the last two years. She achieved many “firsts” in her career. At just 38 years old, she was the first woman in Tennessee to serve on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. While in private practice, she became the first female partner in the Memphis firm of Burch Porter & Johnson. And she was the first graduate of the University of Memphis to sit on the state’s high court. As chief justice, Kirby helped secure $26 million to fund indigent representation in Tennessee and establish a new commission to oversee the administration and compensation of appointed counsel. Recognizing the need to modernize the court system, she also  supported the court’s Technology Oversight Committee and helped bring stakeholders together to develop a solution to unify court system data. She also focused on increased threats to Tennessee’s judiciary, leading efforts to strengthen laws on intimidation of judicial officials, and to protect judges, their families and justice system employees.